126 BIGGIE ORCHARD BOOK 



are quickly perishable and must be picked the 

 instant they are ready. Delay means loss by birds 

 and rot. 



PEACHES. To determine "just when a peach is 

 ready, " requires a little observation and experience. 

 For shipping purposes the fruit should be ripe, but 

 hard, the degree of hardness 

 depending upon the distance the 

 fruit must travel. Many expert 

 peach growers ' ' go over ' ' each tree 

 ' at least twice ; and, often, three or 

 PICKING BENCH four times, at intervals. Why? 

 Because peaches seldom ripen evenly on a tree, and, by 

 the time all were ready to pick, some would be too soft 

 for shipment. Peaches, like cherries and plums, are 

 quickly perishable and therefore must be handled 

 promptly and at just the right minute. Bach variety 

 has its own ripening time, and by dividing an orchard 

 into, say, six kinds which ripen at intervals of about 

 a week apart, the orchardist is enabled easily to handle 

 one variety before the next is ripe. This 

 is a great point in large orchards where 

 competent help is hard to get, spreads 

 the picking and packing over six weeks, 

 instead of crowding it into only one or 

 two. 



PiyUMS. If possible, pick plums, for 

 market, ' ' with the stems on. ' ' The fruit 

 should be ripe, well colored, but not soft. If rot 

 threatens (as it often does), the sooner you can pick 

 the crop, the better. Don't delay a moment. Watch 

 for the right time, and then hurry matters. 



